


My Favorite Pick Me Up

by DroppedAllTheseOreos



Category: Kamen Rider Den-O
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Owner gets a little cameo, shifting pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:03:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27629258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DroppedAllTheseOreos/pseuds/DroppedAllTheseOreos
Summary: Ryoutaro has a terrible fall and the Den-Liner crew comes together to help him out.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Momotaros/Nogami Ryoutarou
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16
Collections: Another Toku Holiday Special (2020)





	My Favorite Pick Me Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tothelight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tothelight/gifts).



> I thought I was clever having the POV shift to whoever was in control of the body, then Momo shoved that idea aside and said "my show now" lol  
> Still hope you enjoy this fic! I had a blast writing it!
> 
> Title from Joji and BlocBoy JB's song Peach Jam

Ryoutaro said a brief goodbye to Airi as he passed by the coffee bar. She seemed concerned, rushing over with some thick health drink and insisting he couldn't leave until he drank all of it. He took the cup tentatively, but readied himself for a big gulp, hoping to get it all down while holding his breath. The liquid sludged out and in moments he gagged on the concentrated taste of the color green. He wasn't sure how, but Airi must've found every possible vegetable and blended it up into that drink because there were way too many things washing over his tongue to comprehend.

Maybe this was her way of keeping him inside and safe, since he'd been coming back with bruises and cuts every day. He was certain he'd be lying in bed feeling sick the rest of the day if he had any more. And while the injuries shouldn't have been anything unusual, given how his days usually went, Ryoutaro guessed he got them less frequently before all these Imagin attacks and time traveling. He was determined to head out today, though, so he pressed on. After downing the rest of the drink he spent a long while fighting his gag reflex, not wanting to insult his sister by throwing up or passing out. He even surprised himself with how well he forced the nausea down and stayed standing to assure Airi he was just going out for a quick bike ride and he'd be right back. Thankfully, that seemed to ease her worries.

Her usual gentle smile returned as she waved him out. And Ryoutaro felt a little lighter as he smiled back, only to walk into the door frame distractedly. He rushed outside to his bike and hopped on before Airi could stop him and try to coerce another health drink into him. As much as he wanted to stay at the cafe and help on any other day, he needed a change of scenery and time to sort everything out.

It felt like only yesterday when he made his contract with Momotaros, but he knew it'd been so much longer. So, _so_ much longer. Just a few weeks ago, they'd picked up another Imagin, and this one was even trying to kill him this time. Fortunately, they'd been able to convince Ryuutaros to stay onboard with them peacefully... For the most part, anyway. There were still sharp pangs against the sides of his skull and his heart from all the chaos the little purple dragon was sowing among Momotaros and the others.

And Ryuutaros hadn't been the only stressful addition to his life. There seemed to be even more Imagin attacks recently. And while Ryoutaro and the others were on a roll recently, finally getting used to each other and getting better at taking down each threat, there was something about it that sat wrong in his mind. He hoped the ride would give him a spark of inspiration to figuring out why.

But as always, he forgot about his horrible luck. Just as he felt like he was on the edge of realizing something, he wasn't paying attention to the road so his front tire hit an uneven patch in the middle of the sidewalk. He overshot how much he needed to turn to regain control and steered himself right towards the side of a riverbank. He started careening down the slope and he was going too fast to put on the brakes without hurting himself. At first, he thought it was fortunate that the riverbed was all dried up; thinking maybe he could course-correct and come to a stop down there. But the next few seconds made him wish there was still water, because he hit the ground at the wrong angle and ended up skidding and crashing, hitting the dirt hard then getting flung from the bike, rolling a few meters away.

Winded and dizzy from the fall, Ryoutaro painfully turned onto his back. He squirmed around to find a comfortable way to lay there while he got his bearings, trying his best to ignore the shouts of concern from Momotaros for now. While he appreciated it, the volume was making his head hurt more.

Just as he was feeling well enough to start sitting up, the familiar feeling of Momotaros enveloped him and he was bolting up.

"Ryoutaro!" Momotaros shouted, now in control of the body, "Answer me when I'm talking to you, idiot!" He frantically patted Ryoutaro down, checking for injuries and quickly finding the places that were bruised or scraped. Each injury was quickly made obvious from the familiar sting from pressing on a bruise or the burning sensation of roughed up and open skin rubbing against clothes.

There was a weak chuckle from inside Momotaros' mind, and he gritted his teeth. "Momotaros, it's really okay!" Ryoutaro gently urged.

The Imagin just snorted and took out the Den-Liner pass, summoning the train to them so he could hobble them both to safety and hopefully someone who could treat Ryoutaro. Something bothered him with every step, though. And it wasn't all of Ryoutaro's injuries screaming in protest. This was more like he was forgetting something, and he started looking around for wha— The bike.

"Ah, Momotaros, it's no big deal!" Ryoutaro said and he could feel the human gently tugging him back towards the train.

But Momotaros stubbornly trudged over to it. He was going to make it a big deal this time.

Normally, if Ryoutaro got attacked while on his bike, they just ditched it for time's sake. And once the threat was dealt with, the human had to go hunting for it afterward, often finding it stolen or having to go a long way just to be in the general area of where they abandoned it. While he wanted to get Ryoutaro into the dining car as soon as possible to get looked over, he could still do this one thing.

A hand on his shoulder suddenly stopped him, though, and he turned to see Hana.

Instead of getting chewed out or some kind of violence like he'd come to expect from her for overworking Ryoutaro, she just gave him a knowing smile. Just as he was about to demand to know what was so funny, she walked on ahead. Hana went the rest of the way to pick up the bike, forcing him to stay in place with glares if she heard him trying to come over. Once she was certain Momotaros was doing as he was told, she set the bike back up, trying to roll it. But when she found that one of the tires had popped and misaligned, Hana easily picked it up with one hand and nodded to Momotaros.

"Let's go. Unless you want me to carry you, too?"

"Getting off our feet might be nice," Ryoutaro joked softly and Momotaros spluttered.

"Shut up!" He yelled back, and Hana just raised an unamused eyebrow, knowing he was talking with Ryoutaro but probably disapproving of the tone he was taking. After another moment of silent judgment and Momotaros glaring back, she headed to the Den-Liner.

Their elbow was starting to throb pretty badly, so Momotaros clutched it in hopes of staunching the pain and tried to amble after her as briskly as he could. He had some trouble getting up onto the floor of the car, but fortunately, his pride was saved when no one came over to help. With all their passengers on, the Den-Liner's doors closed and it started on its steady trek through time again. Though he was tempted to lean back on the newly closed door, Momotaros pressed on and sat them down heavily in the nearest booth. Once he was certain the human would be okay, he left Ryoutaro's body to check him over.

Naomi was already bustling around with the little brat practically nipping at her heels, trying to see everything she was doing. With Hana's help, Naomi set up a little hammock between the coffee bar and the nearest booth, and Ryuuta carefully, "artfully" arranged the pillows and blankets they brought out. It looked uncomfortable to Momotaros, just one big mess, but he figured the colors looked nice enough together. He'd have to rearrange everything once they got Ryoutaro situated inside to make sure he was more comfortable.

When they were ready for him, Momotaros carefully picked Ryoutaro up, holding him bridal style to walk him over to Naomi's 'medical hammock,' gently laying him down.

Just as he expected, the little brat threw a fit when they started rearranging his hard work to make Ryoutaro more comfortable. Before he could do that psychic blast thing on anyone, the turtle and dumb bear made their way over and Kintaros picked him up.

"We'll get this, senpai." Urataros nodded at him, then turned to the kid. "Your art was very nice, Ryuuta, but we should let them do their work," Urataros chided playfully, "Come over here, you can draw with us."

Ryuuta kept fighting but didn't have much say since Kintaros carried him over to his and Urataros' usual table and sat them both down. Fortunately, he settled down when the turtle put the drawing pad and pastels in front of him. Urataros sat down on the other side of Ryuuta and they started talking quietly about his drawing. As Momotaros watched, he noticed that the bear miraculously stayed awake. Maybe to avoid crushing the kid, since he was in the spot where he'd usually fall asleep on Urataros.

With that settled, he was able to put his attention back onto Ryoutaro, helping Naomi and Hana move him around so they could get his clothes off and attend to his injuries easier. Naomi was surprisingly focused, but she still had her usual cheer as she carefully applied ointment to bruises with cotton pads or cleaned then bandaged the scrapes and friction burns.

While they were finishing up his treatment, the human woke up, eyelids fluttering as he turned over in the hammock uncomfortably, squirming a bit to get more comfortable. Those big, warm eyes hazily wandered the room, immediately brightening when they landed on Momotaros.

"You're okay," He said in that soft voice of his, and while it made him feel happy to hear, it also set a fire in Momotaros' belly.

_"I'm_ okay? I'm not the one who just crashed into a ditch!" He huffed, "You're worried about me when you're like that? No sense. Really, no sense," He grumbled.

"Sorry," Ryoutaro mumbled.

"Yeah, you better be sorry!"

"Momotaros!" Hana snapped, almost drowning out an exasperated "Senpai..." from behind her.

"Worrying about me, I can't believe—" Momotaros clicked his tongue sharply, "Save all your worrying for me and turn it into getting better! Then you can say sorry all you want!"

And just like he always did, Ryoutaro just smiled and giggled softly, wincing a bit when that pulled or strained something or other. But he sighed contentedly when the pain eased, relaxing back into the hammock and letting Naomi complete her work on his arm, tying the bandage off cleanly. For the finishing touch, she picked up a blanket to tuck him in, and with an efficient flick of the wrists, the fabric snapped open from its neatly folded bundle and elegantly fluttered down over him.

With everything they could do for Ryoutaro done, and the human looking cozy, Naomi picked up the battered bike and started dragging it out of the dining car with some effort. Hana quickly went to her side and picked it up again. Naomi giggled and gestured for her to follow.

"I'll see if our engineer can fix this up!" Naomi announced, leaning over Hana's shoulder and standing on tippy toes to make sure she was seen.

And with that, the girls were out the door. With the other two distracting Ryuutaros, it was just down to Momotaros and Ryoutaro. Suddenly unsure of what he should do, Momotaros fiddled with his hands, finally going to sit in the booth to stay near Ryoutaro and keep an eye on him. He wasn't sure when the human fell asleep, but it put him at ease to see him resting peacefully.

* * *

Once they were done with this or that, everyone came back to check in on Ryoutaro, or do their usual lounging in the dining car. Ryuuta got bored of just drawing and eventually started rebelling, slipping out from between Kintaros and Urataros and causing trouble where he could, forcing the two of them to give chase while Naomi cheered the brat on. Even Owner dropped by for his usual fried rice and cryptic talk, but made sure to stand near Ryoutaro's side and watch him ominously for a few moments. It was lively. Probably too much for Ryoutaro's condition, but he seemed happy enough when he was awake for the shenanigans. But it slowly got late. Ryoutaro called Airi to let her know he was "staying over at Sakurai's place" and eventually, the others retired to the sleeper car.

While giving Ryoutaro a bed might've been better in theory, they all knew the sleeper car would somehow be worse on him. The hammock could at least keep him from rolling away in the night, and the sleeper car tended to be noisy and rowdy ever since Ryoutaro picked up the other hangers-on. Momotaros knew. He'd seen Urataros and Kintaros trying to put the kid to bed and it was nothing but whining, thrown pillows, and chaos.

As he was leaving, Urataros put his hand on Momotaros' shoulder. He jolted a bit at the contact but glared up at the turtle, wondering what he wanted.

Annoyingly, all he did was chuckle warmly and say, "Senpai. Take good care of him," in a knowing tone.

Momotaros spluttered, trying to keep it down while the turtle laughed at him. He managed to eventually chase Urataros out, clicking off the lights to help Ryoutaro rest easier as he left.

In the quiet half-dark of the dining car, Momotaros sighed relievedly. What an annoying bunch. Though it was nice that they all came together to help Ryoutaro out. But now he could finally relax, not having to worry about them accidentally hurting him with their antics. As he leaned on the coffee bar, he found himself focusing on the subtle rocking and bumping of the Den-Liner as it sped along the tracks, almost getting lost in it. Momotaros wasn't sure how long it had been since everyone left, but he quickly picked up on the soft calling of his name, and the rustling of fabric behind him.

He slowly turned to where Ryoutaro was supposed to be sleeping, seeing big eyes shining in the dark, reflecting faint moonlight trickling in through the car's thin windows. He felt frozen to his seat, watching Ryoutaro carefully. A trembling hand reached out from the blankets and gestured for him to come closer.

Momotaros hesitated, but found his feet already taking him to Ryoutaro. He hopped from the booth and was at his side in moments, crouching to be eye level with the human. Something inside of him went very warm when he saw the gentle smile aimed his way. Ryoutaro reached out for Momotaros, but he quickly grabbed his hand, guiding it back down on the hammock to rest. Ryoutaro chuckled a little and scooted back as best he could, seemingly making room for...

Momotaros rubbed at the back of his neck embarrassedly, but held the hammock down once the feeling subsided and wobbled a bit as he snuggled in next to Ryoutaro. As they tried to find a comfortable position, Ryoutaro tried to help, so Momotaros just pushed him down, trying to get him to keep resting, but the force of the struggle rocked the hammock and they nearly flipped over. Momotaros was able to stop them from swinging wildly by sticking his foot out as a brake and holding Ryoutaro tight so he wouldn't fall out. Once they were steady, Momotaros slowly bent his knee until they were mostly level and could properly adjust themselves. Once they were in a nice, comfortable position for both of them, Momotaros drew his foot back up to carefully tangle with Ryoutaro's in a way that wouldn't crush his already bruised legs.

Ryoutaro nuzzled against his chest sleepily, looking like a content puppy with his half-open eyes, somehow still sparkling in the moonlight as they looked up at him. "Momo," He sighed contentedly, and Momotaro's chest felt like it was about to burst from how full it felt.

The Imagin brought up a hand to gently stroke Ryoutaro's hair, mindful of the bandages wrapped around his head. Momotaros silently promised to do better to protect him as he finally started dozing off, joining Ryoutaro in a cozy, peaceful sleep.


End file.
